yesterday was easily the most difficult "mom" day in my 8 years on the job. i'm being honest when i say that at the end of the day, in the moments before my husband walked through the front door, i did not believe that i had anything else in me to give. and yet, things were far from over. when ben did get home he came in to find me in the middle of the sheet laden couch with a bowl in each hand & two kids throwing up at the same time. jack started to fall apart then, overcome with both exhaustion and relief at seeing his daddy. somehow when you're the sickest you can remember being, having both mommy and daddy waiting in the wings to comfort you feels like catching a break. once my biggest baby crumbled, i was quick to follow...crying desperate tears of empathy and sorrow. and at that moment, the leader of our pack was struck by the power of the situation and swooped in for a record breaking rescue. ben went into action and for the next few hours we held barf bowls and changed rancid diarrhea together. i went to bed at 9, which is incredibly early and unheard of for me.
for hours i had juggled taking care of three sick kids and disinfecting every visible and hidden inch of our house. i scrubbed the hellish day out of the bath tub with a toothbrush; i washed every sheet and blanket and pillow and rug. i cleaned every floor, every doorknob, every toy...i have no idea how i did it all, except that when you're a mom your super powers are quite impressive. but i needed reprieve, i needed my prince to gallop in and throw me a life line. as i was basking in the understanding that ben DID come home and take care of us, it occurred to me that countless single mothers do not have those extra two hands & endless support. and my heart sunk for them, for the women i know and the ones i don't. how consuming it must be to be the only means to an end, to have to DO IT ALONE.
and then my spirit said, "i wish all of them knew Jesus."
as humans we are built for partnering, companionship, love. when those things are lacking in our lives we can feel defeat and a sense of inadequacy. few are the parents who are able to own their situation, step up and knock down their obstacles. as children of God, the most loving and caring parent in the history of time, we yearn to fall into the hands of our Lord & let Him hold the barf bowl. we need Him to hold back our hair, to cry alongside us, to promise us that it will be okay. as brides of the highest husband, we look to God for relief at the end of a swampy day. we wait for Him to get home from work and take care of us. and we feel unending rest when He does; we can go to bed early and know that He will stay awake.
do you know a single parent? was your mom a single mom? are you alone? rest can be found. call out to your Father and be astounded when He rubs your back. let Him be your husband when you have no one else to call on. HE WILL be these things for you. be still and know that He is Lord.
kris
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